Captain Picks

Aguero: This could come to bite me in the behind but I think Mancini will start Aguero against Swansea and that he will keep his place in the first team for a prolonged period. He is clearly the number one striker at the club and is always threatening. His full 90 minutes against Ajax are troubling but I think it will be Dzeko to give way for Tevez in the starting eleven. Aguero is a solid captain’s choice, given he starts.

Bale: Bale is set to return against Southampton, who have conceded the most shots on target this season, on average a whopping 17 shots per game. Bale has attempted over twenty shots and created a similar amount of chances for Tottenham and remains their most potent weapon.

Cazorla: Despite Arsenal’s setbacks, they should score at home against QPR. “Form” is a difficult concept to measure and predict and should be used with caution. The numbers tell us that QPR has conceded on average 2.25 goals in away games and that Cazorla is amongst the top players in both total shots and chances created. If I were a betting man, Cazorla for a goal or an assist would be hard to resist.

Big Hitters

With Adebayor out with back problems, Defoe will start against Southampton. He has only failed to score or assist in two games this season and will, like Bale, relish the opportunity to test Southampton’s back four.

Milner, Rodwell, Garcia, and Silva are missing against Swansea which should pave the way for Nasri to start. He will enjoy a lot of the ball in Swansea’s final third and is a surprise big hitter this Gameweek.

Mata has been sensational and is the Chelsea midfielder to pick at the moment. [His underlying stats][PFL-1] are tremendous since moving further upfield in Chelsea’s 4-2-3-1. He is registering more shots, shots on target, and chances created than both Oscar and Hazard.

Newcastle have an attractive set of fixtures coming up, making Ba a decent purchase option. He’s third in the league in total shots and is a decent shout against a West Brom team that has conceded 1.67 goals per game away from home.

Clean Sheets

Manchester City shouldn’t concede against Swansea. Mancini’s rotation is ruthless, but Lescott should play most games and is a 1.0 cheaper than Kompany.

Stoke are entering a strong run of fixtures and Wilson is the low hanging fruit at only 4.5.

Punts

Berbatov would not be considered a punt, but for Fulham’s lacklustre away form in recent years. They look a better attacking team, despite losing Dembele, thanks to Berbatov’s influence. Jol has set up the Fulham team to play to the Bulgarian’s strengths and he should at least be involved against Reading.

Maloney is registered as a midfielder in the FPL game but plays in Wigan’s front three. His numbers are encouraging for a budget player, with 11 shots and 11 chances created. He’s in the budget midfielder group including Sterling and Noble, but Wigan’s home game pushes Maloney to “punt” category.

Lallana’s four assists and a goal shouldn’t come as a surprise to the statistically inclined. He’s racked up 16 chances created and 11 shots and is a strong buy with Southampton’s upcoming favourable fixtures.